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In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing my favorite supported inverted and calming poses with you. All of these poses require props of one sort or another. Now I know some people are reluctant to get started with props because they seem like such a hassle and maybe also because they’re seen as part of the whole distasteful “consumerist” aspect of yoga in America. But I’m afraid that for stress management, calming and restorative poses, props really are necessary. That’s because your body can relax much more effectively if it is being fully supported, rather than you having to use your muscles to support you.

However, using “props” doesn’t mean you need to run out and buy hundreds of dollars worth of specialized merchandise to duplicate what they have in your local yoga studio. In fact, for almost every prop we use in our poses, there is something in your house that you can use in its place.

Blocks. In most cases, you can use a book or a stack of books in place of a block. The only time you need to be careful about this is when you are placing both hands on a height (for example, in Downward-Facing Dog pose with hands on blocks). In this case, make sure the books are exactly the same height. And, of course, if you’re handy, there is no reason why you can’t make your own blocks out of pieces of wood you happen to have out in your garage. Just be sure to sand them well so you don’t get any splinters.

Straps. For a yoga strap substitute, look no further than your closet. Depending on which pose you’re doing, you can use an actual belt (leather or cloth). The sash from a bathrobe works quite well. You could even use an actual tie. And, yes, it’s nice to have one of those yoga strap buckles when you want to make a loop, but you could always tie a knot in the belt for the same effect. Just make sure that the cloth isn’t stretchy, as it won’t provide the necessary support if there is a lot of give to it.

Bolsters. I’d say if there’s one prop it’s worth investing in, a round bolster is my pick! Mine has lasted over 10 years, and has provided me with so much use and comfort…. That being said, you can “fake” a bolster by rolling a couple of blankets into a firm roll. Start with one single blanket that is folded into quarters. Then, from the narrow side, roll the blanket into a tight, firm roll. Then fold your second blanket into quarters. Finally, place the rolled-up first blanket on top of the flat second blanket, lining up the edges of both at narrow end, and then roll the second blanket around the first. Pretty close to a bolster, right? Another possibility is to use a sleeping bag that has been rolled up inside its bag for storage.

In many poses, the bolster doesn’t even need to be a round shape. In this case, you can fold some yoga blankets into long, thin rectangles and stack them on top of each other. This works well for reclined, supported poses, such as Reclined Cobbler’s pose, Reclined Hero pose, and Supported Savasana.

Blankets. The blankets used in yoga studios (and in our photographs) are wool, single-bed blankets, often from an Army Navy store. Because few people use real blankets any more, it’s a bit hard to find a substitute blanket in the house. The comforters and duvets we now use on our beds—when did that trend take over?—are too fluffy to provide any real support. However, when push comes to shove, a stack of towels can do the trick. Because towels are thinner than wool blankets, you’ll have to use more to achieve the same height. But some yoga studios, including some in India, use those very thin cotton hospital blankets, and you have to use quite a number of those, too. (I actually once taught yoga at a hospital, and we used those hospital blankets there, so I know. I’ve also done yoga in hotel rooms where I used the towels, so I know all about that, too.)

Yoga Mats. If you’re practicing on a wooden or carpeted floor, you might not even need a yoga mat at all for your standing poses. Try it and see. If you are resting your head on the floor, such as in an inverted pose, and the floor is too hard, you can put a thin towel under your head. You can also use a towel for cushioning your knees or any other part of your body.
Eye Pillows. An eye pillow has two functions. The first is to block out the light. For this purpose, you can drape a silk scarf or any other soft fabric over your eyes. The second purpose is to add a little weight to your eyelids, which can enhance relaxation. To add a little weight, you could wrap the silk scarf around a folded washcloth or even a small baggie filled with rice (hey, I just thought of that one).

Sandbags. So far, we haven’t been discussing and/or showing sandbags, but just so you know, a bag of rice or beans works just as well when you want to place a 1 or 5 pound weight on your body.

Be creative! Sometimes you can use various pieces of furniture in your house or hotel room, such as benches, ottomans, and coffee tables for various poses. I used to teach yoga in a room that had couches in it but no chairs, and at the end of class we used to do “Legs on a Couch pose,” which was my way of doing Easy Inverted pose. Baxter even uses a can of beans and rubber bands as props (see Friday Q&A: Bunions, a Can, and a Rubber Band). And we know teachers who use tennis and lacrosse balls for all kinds of evil—I mean, excellent—things.

That’s it for now, but if I’ve forgotten about anything important or you have some good ideas of your own, please let me know.

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While I am deeply missing the connection of being in community and sharing yoga in person, I was full of gratitude for the opportunity to gather together Live on Zoom last Friday for practice. It certainly helped me to feel more Calm, Clear, and Connected! (To those of you there, big thank you!). Below you will find the readings I offered during class.

If you can’t join us live, all registrants may access the class recording for three days after it streams.

Should you wish to create more calm right now, I’ve included several FREE practices below.

And may we all remember – that each time we pause to calm ourselves, to come back to our breath and body, it’s not only good for us, it’s good for everyone we come into contact with. It’s a real way of spreading peace on the planet (even at a ‘social distance’). So thank you for practicing.

May you be safe, well and at ease.
May all beings be safe, well and at ease.

​Our original idea behind the Prama Institute and Wellness Center was to provide an affordable holistic retreat center in the Blue Ridge Mountains. What makes Prama a special place to restore one’s dynamic balance, according to our attendees, is the beauty of the inner and outer “sacred space” evoked by the environment, facilities, staff, food and holistic programs. However the road to that “sacred space” is often difficult in the beginning.

We come to realize that achieving a balance in our physical, emotional, social and spiritual lives requires a longer journey of a shift in our life styles. It is for this reason that we see so many people return time and time again to the Prama Institute and Wellness Center to affirm and reaffirm that dynamic balance that Prama personifies for their lives. Please help us to continue our mission by donating to our holiday fundraiser. Read more about our history here.​

New friends enjoying their last juice after the 5 day juice cleanse this past weekend!

​Are you feeling stressed and fatigued from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? It is the perfect time to start planning for your first cleanse of the New Year!

I love Southern California – the sun, the sea, the optimism, the creativity!

And. . .it’s no secret that there’s a dark underbelly to the culture. I would argue that it’s this shadow side of the sunshine state that creates a fertile breeding ground for perpetrators like Bikram. When the Netflix documentary came out a few weeks ago I thought, “Yeah, I guess I should schedule that in,” (with about as much enthusiasm as I have for a pap smear). But, a few days ago, I managed to get through it. Read more here…

104 Proven Benefits of Yoga

Yoga’s Benefits on Your Brain & Emotions

Here are some changes in our brain, our way of thinking and perception that happen.

1. Attending Yoga Classes Lifts Up Your Mood

Yoga has similar effects to exercise.

During yoga, the body releases hormones that help improve mood and lowers stress. This is why many feel happier after a class.

Besides doing poses, yoga includes meditation and breathing. The latter two help improve focus and mindfulness.

A Boston University studycompared its effects walking. Their focus was to see which improved mood, anxiety and GABA levels more. GABA, or Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, is a neurotransmitter. It helps calm your brain down. It also works to regulate anxiety.

After 12 weeks, the yoga group had bigger improvements in mood and anxiety.

To check for GABA levels, the scientists used magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans. These scans showed increased thalamic GABA levels in the yoga group.

Also, the study links the improvements in mood and anxiety to the higher GABA levels.

Here, 1 hour weekly sessions of hatha yoga improved stress and anxiety levels. The 10 week program also helped participants be more relaxed.

4. Yoga Helps Fight Depression

Depression affects over 15 million adults in the U.S.

The condition carries the most burden among mental and behavioral disorders. This is according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The worse thing about it is it takes away the most years out of our lives.

Depressionis often linked to illness and disease. The thing is, it can be caused by many different things.

For anyone with depressive symptoms, yoga can help you be more active. It also aids in reducing your feelings of depression.

The GABA neurotransmitter we mentioned earlier is linked to depression and anxiety. Scientists found that lower GABA levels are associated with depression.

For their study, they relied on specialized MRI machines. These devices let them measure GABA levels in the brain of teenagers with depression.

The team then compared the teens’ scans with those who weren’t depressed. This led them to discover that the depressed teens had lower levels of GABA.

Yoga helps decrease feelings of depression. It does this in part by boosting GABA levels.

A study by UCLA researchersused 5 weeks of Iyengar yoga to test this. They found that yoga reduced symptoms in adults with mild levels of depression.

The classes focused on postures believed to help reduce depression. This included inversions, backbends and standing poses.

In the end, participants reported less depressive symptoms and anxiety. They also had more positive moods and lower levels of negative mood.

5. It Gives You A More Positive Outlook on Life

Having a positive outlook and mood helps you be happier. More importantly, it makes you healthier.

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, being positive is healthy for everyone.

It reduces your chances of getting sick. Plus, it protects against diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

The institution also notes the importance of emotional vitality. This includes having the feeling of enthusiasm and being hopeful.

Together, these help us cope with stresses in life. Additionally, it provides us with emotional balance.

Harvard professor Shawn Achor, an expert in positive psychology, says it is vital. He notes that 75% of predicting one’s success at work relies on optimistic behavior. That is, the ability to see challenges as a way to improve. And, having a positive support system.

Yoga helps foster the 4 important attributes. All 4 are essential for a happier, healthier life.

Emotional vitalityor that sense of enthusiasm

Optimism

Social support

Self-regulation ability

Here’s some proof.

Researchers collected data from 312 participants during a week-long free yoga camp. Analysis of the data showed that integrative yoga practices have many positive effects.

An experiment done at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons proves this. They found that yogic breathing helps shift one’s balance from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system.

This helps relieve stress.

The reason is that our sympathetic nervous is related to our stress and anxieties. Our parasympathetic nervous system meanwhile, is what calms our stress response systems.

A Boston University study also notes that yoga increases our brain’s GABA levels. This results in a calming effect that helps improve our mood.

For their experiment, they compared yoga and reading. This allowed them to see which activity affected GABA levels more.

Surprisingly, reading for 1 hour didn’t have any effects on GABA. But, a similar 1 hour yoga session increased GABA levels by 27%.

8. Yoga Practitioners are Happier

Want to cheer yourself up?

Skip the fridge.

Try yoga instead.

Yoga improves our mood and upping our GABA levels. Plus, it has other positive effects on our brain as well.

It affects the area of the brain that’s associated with having a more positive outlook.

10. Yoga Improves Emotional Resilience

These specially trained individuals are always ready to handle physical and mental challenges.

Resilience or having “grit” is the best predictor of success. This is according to University of Pennsylvania researcher Angela Lee Duckworth.

It gives you the ability to see things through, even in tough times. This way you’re ready for the long haul.

Duckworth observed this by analyzing West Point Military Academy students. She learned that grit was a better predictor of success. It was better than SAT scores, class rank, leadership ability and physical aptitude.

Yoga also helps develop our level of resilience. It does so by fostering tolerance to stress and emotional well-being.

Participants in the yoga group saw improved mood profiles and positive psychological attitudes. Yoga allowed them to cope better with work stress. And, they did so with more composure, confidence, and a clearer mind.

The good news is, anyone can use yoga to be more resilient to stress. This is true for when you’re at work, or at home.

It helps you cope with relationship stress as well. These include dealing with your boss or in family life.

Using MRI scans, it saw that yogis didn’t have the same gray matter decline that’s related to aging.

Here, yoga experience was correlated with gray matter volume in the brain’s left hemisphere. This is the side that’s responsible for our positive mental state. It also handles the parasympathetic mode, which helps calm and relax us.

14. Yoga Improves Concentration

Concentration plays a vital role in success. This is true in the office or school.

Most people see yoga as a form of physical exercise. But, it offers more.

Yoga improves our ability to concentrate. This is something all of us can benefit from.

A study of 69 men between the ages of 18 and 48 years old proves this.

Here, participants did 2 different yoga techniques, cyclic meditation, and supine rest. After yoga, the results of their concentration tests improved.

18. It Makes You Smarter

Studies show that yoga helps the brain process and complete mental challenges faster. Plus, it does this with better accuracy as well.

Even better, it protects our brain’s cognitive processing center from deteriorating with age.

We can see its benefits in a studyinvolving 20 girls between the ages of 10 and 13 years old. Those who did 15 minutes of yoga daily were able to plan and execute moves in the Tower of London test with less time. Their results were better than those who did physical exercise.

The Tower of London is a test that assesses planning and execution abilities.

This result shows that yoga helps improve mental performance. And it does so in both simple and complex tasks.

We can see yoga’s effects on mental performance and cognitive function in this study. Here, researchers used brain wave coherence recordings.

What they learned was after yoga, the brain’s:

Delta wavesincreased by 43%.

Alpha wavesalso went up by 58%.

Beta wavesdecreased by 18%.

Thetaand Gamma brain waveswent up by almost 10%.

What does this all mean?

The increase in Alpha wavesindicates more calmness and a level of relaxation.

These waves also assist in total mental coordination, creativity, memory and concentration. All help with learning and mind/body integration.

Delta wavesmeanwhile are related to external awareness and empathy.

They’re also associated with our body’s healing process and rejuvenation. These are factors that help revitalize our brains.

Delta waves are the waves involved during sleep.

Finally, the Beta waves are engaged in deeper mental activity. This includes judgment, problem-solving and decision making.

All were depressed after yoga. This was to help save energy and let the brain recover.

Too much of beta waves leads to stress and anxiety. This is what most of us are guilty of due to our hectic and busy lifestyles.

19. Yoga Ups Your Game to the Next Level

Practicing yoga has been shown to increase athletic performance.

In recent years, yoga has made its way to professional sports.

Athletes, both recreational and elite, benefit from it. It affects them in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual ways.

Among the things yoga can do for sports performance are:

Improve strength and power(see #27)

Help with mental toughness(see #10)

Increase muscle function(see #21)

Improve your recovery timeand the body’s repair of muscles.

This is why NBA basketball players and NFL football players are turning to yoga. It helps them improve their game and athletic performance.

As far as scientific evidence goes, a studyon short track speed skaters offers proof. It noted better efficiency on skating technique thanks to yoga. The skaters also showed improvements in 11 of the 14 angles done in postural tests.

20. Yoga Improves Reaction Time

Part of being mentally sharp is having good reaction time.

One’s ability to notice changes and stimuli then process them is important.

At the same time, the speed at which your eyes and brain do the processing makes a big difference in performance.

This is true in both mental and physical tasks.

A study in India involving 27 high schools students offers proof. The students achieved better visual and auditory reaction times thanks to yoga. Also, their breathing capacity and muscle grip strength improved.

We see the same results in a similar experiment. This time, on healthy individuals between 18 to 25 years old.

Here, auditory, cutaneous and visual reaction times all went down post yoga. Also, the participants saw improvements in both right and left sides of the body.

In each of the tests, the subjects pressed a button as fast as they could in response to a stimuli. The tests went through the following stimuli:

sound through headphones (for auditory)

light bulb (visual)

touch of the skin (cutaneous)

Reaction times for all decreased after doing yoga.

21. Yoga Practice Improves in Dexterity & Agility

Besides strength, flexibility, and endurance, another important aspect of performance is agility.

Being agile and having dexterity lets you move faster. It also lets you be swift and efficient in doing things.

Yoga helps in both dexterity and agility.

A study in Indiafound that those who did 1 month yoga training had better dexterity in small tasks.

The researchers split the participants into 4 groups.

One group were those who volunteered for the yoga training.

Another that did yoga because it was part of their job.

And, 2 other groups that didn’t receive yoga training.

The test involved the participants inserting metal pins into holes using tweezers. This tested their dexterity. The test also had a limit of 4 minutes. This made speed and precision important.

Results show that those who voluntarily did yoga improved their scores. The other 3 groups, including those forced to do yoga, had the same before and after scores.

This study shows that yoga does improve small skill dexterity. But, the proper motivation to practice the art should be there.

In the same manner, yoga improves agility in sports.

A studyreveals that 6 weeks of yoga asanas (poses) improves agility and strength.

Here, participants were able to cut their shuttle run times by close to 1 second even without extra running training.

An extra benefit was that the yoga group also saw increases in the number of sit-ups they could do.

22. It Increases Endurance & Stamina

At first glance, yoga doesn’t seem to involve much cardiovascular activity.

After all, you’re either doing poses or sitting down breathing and meditating.

VO2max is a measure of oxygen consumption and usage. It a test often used in endurance athletes like rowers and cyclists. This measures their cardiovascular and aerobic endurance.

Additionally, the yoga group had bigger improvements in muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility.

If you’re looking to ramp things up, many classes offer high intensity variations. Hot 8 Yoga, one of the best yoga studios in California, offers over 200 classes a week. These include Hot Yoga, Power Yoga and Yoga Sculpt with weights.

23. You’ll Have Better Hand-Eye Coordination

Unlike many other forms of exercise, yoga involves both mind and body.

This not only improves coordination and motor skills but also hand-eye coordination.

Researchers learnedthat 1 month of yoga increased hand-to-eye coordination. It also improved accuracy in speed. The experiment involved a mirror-tracing task. Participants had to trace shapes including circles and stars. In the end, those who did yoga improved in the task for both hands.

There’s a similar study. This one involved holding and inserting a metal stylus into holes. The results show that yoga helps boost motor skills as well.

24. You’ll Become More Flexible

Anyone who has attended a yoga class knows that it helps with flexibility.

Before yoga, you may not have been able to do back bends. Or, reach your toes.

The gentle bending and stretching in yoga helps loosen tight muscles and joints. This includes the hips, hamstrings, thighs and back.

These changes and lengthening help everyone, especially desk jockeys. Athletes also see improvements in sports performance due to the added flexibility.

As a bonus, the bending and stretching fix some of our posture problems.

All in all, it makes you feel better.

Brazilian researchersobserved yoga helps elderly individuals be more flexible. In fact, they note that yoga was more effective than calisthenics. This is due to its gentle and passive movements.

A study involving men and women between the ages of 65 to 85 years old saw similar results. Participants enjoyed better flexibility, balance and muscle strength thanks to yoga.

26. Yoga Improves Sexual Function, Performance & Satisfaction

The practice of yoga helps promote self-awareness. And, it also improves blood circulation. Combined, they give you higher libido and sexual energy.

Yoga has been proven to help both men and women improve their sex lives.

A studyof 65 men between the ages of 24 and 60 years old backs this up. Participants saw significant improvements in various facets of their sex lives. This included their level of desire, sexual intercourse satisfaction, and performance. They also had better orgasm, erection, and control.

Visualization made the subjects more sluggish, upset and less content.

Yoga improved both physical and mental energy. And, it had the added benefit of making the subjects feel more positive.

The benefits don’t stop there…

Yoga is also proven to be effective in bringing relief for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). We see this in a study by Kyushu Universityin Japan. It involved 30 patients who didn’t have any success with conventional CFS therapy.

Here, half of the participants went to a yoga group. The rest received conventional therapy.

To measure fatigue scores, they used the Profile of Mood Status questionnaire. This was in combination with Chalder’s FS score.

In the end, results show that the fatigue scores in the yoga group decreased significantly.

Compared to coffee or energy drinks, this is a much healthier way to boost your energy level.

They noted combining all 3 elements of yoga produced the best results. This meant doing postures, meditation, and breathing together.

30. It Improves Blood Circulation & Flow

Blood circulation is vital for our bodies to function properly.

Good blood flow is important because it’s what carries oxygen to our organs and tissues. Without enough oxygen and nutrients, our organs can’t function normally.

The lack of blood to our organ is what causes deadly conditions like stroke and heart attacks.

Yoga increases blood circulation to our brain, heart, muscles and extremities. It does this through the various poses.

The more oxygen our tissues and organs receive, the better they function.

This is why athletes like Lance Armstrong, used illegal methods to boost hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying component in blood.

For evidence, we turn to research from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. It observed that 12 weeks of Iyengar yoga had a training effect where blood flow to the brain changed.

They verified the findings by using brain scans before and after the 12 week yoga program. The scans revealed changes in the right amygdala and prefrontal cortex. The right dorsal medial frontal lobe was also affected.

31. Yoga Improves Respiratory Function & Oxygen Intake

The various breathing techniques done during yoga class helps bring a calming effect. It also increases oxygen efficiency.

Some examples include prolonged inhalation and exhalation as well as alternate nostril breathing.

These techniques allow you to take fewer breaths with greater volume.

In 20 students who were between 12 and 15 years old, those who did 6 months of yoga saw improvements in lung function. They also gained stronger inspiratory and expiratory muscles. To measure results, the researchersused various pulmonary function tests like FEV.

Meanwhile, we all know that aging causes a natural decline in our lung function (among other things). The good news is yoga can be used to improve respiratory function even as we age.

A study notes that healthy elderly individuals benefited from 4 months of yoga. After yoga, their maximum expiratory and inspiratory pressures improved. Plus, their heart rates slowed down as well.

32. It Helps Your Gastrointestinal Function

Men and women who practice yoga also experience better gastrointestinal function.

Among the issues proven to benefit from yoga are GERD or acid reflux, and pancreatitis.

A studyby the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey backs this up. Researchers found that yoga, when used with proton pump inhibitors helps relieve GERD. This combination was effective even when medication didn’t bring relief.

Researchersin the U.K. also note that yoga helps with chronic pancreatitis. Patients who did 3 months of yoga improved their quality of life and appetite. They also had less dependence on alcohol, fewer stress symptoms, and mood changes.

33. It Boosts Your Immune System

Yoga improves our immunity along with its response to stress and health issues.

In a studyinvolving exam stress, students benefited from 35 minutes of yoga daily for 12 weeks. It found that those who did yoga were less affected by stress from their exams.

These individuals also showed little changes in heart rate and blood pressure from the exam stress. The control group meanwhile, showed significant increases in both parameters.

Lastly, students in the yoga group had lower levels of perceived stress. Their cortisol levels only increased a bit as well.

Those who did yoga therapy after surgery had fewer effects of postoperative distress. This helped keep their immune system stay strong.

They also had lower levels of depression, anxiety and better quality of life.

34. Yoga Increases Cardiovascular Fitness & Endurance

About 610,000 people in the U.S. die each year from heart disease. This is according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

This places the figure at around 25% or 1 in every 4 deaths that’s related to cardiovascular disease.

It also puts it as the leading cause of death for most ethnicities in the U.S.

Yoga can help reduce your risk of heart disease. It does this by increasing your cardiovascular endurance.

Cardiovascular endurance refers to the improved rate of oxygen delivery to the body. This is often accompanied by a lower heart rate.

To see how yoga fares compared to aerobic exercise we refer to a study. The researchreveals that 1 hour of yoga daily was better than 7 hours of aerobic exercise weekly. Plus, those who did yoga also had lower BMIs.

To test for cardiovascular endurance, stress tests were done. This physical exam puts you on an exercise bike while an EKG monitors your heart.

35. It Helps Relieve Thyroid Symptoms

Our thyroid is a gland that’s located in the front portion of our necks. It is part of our endocrine system.

As such, it produces and stores hormones. These hormones affect almost all our body’s organ functions.

Among the thyroid’s main functions is regulating our energy levels and metabolism.

This is why anyone with thyroid issues often has weight control problems and low energy.

Research shows yoga helped women with hypothyroidism. It does this by improving their quality of life. It also helped them manage their thyroid symptoms better.

Note that yoga isn’t a primary therapy for thyroid dysfunction. But, it is effective as a complementary therapy for thyroid disorders.

36. Yoga Helps Regulate Metabolism

Metabolism covers the different chemical reactions that happen in the body.

These are:

Catabolism. The body breaks down molecules to use as energy.

Anabolism. Chemical reactions in the body that builds new molecules or synthesizes them.

Together, they allow our body to break down food to use as energy.

An example is when our bodies build new cells and tissues to make muscle. Or, when it replaces and repairs old or damaged tissues.

A balanced metabolism lets you maintain a healthy weight and control food cravings. Additionally, it supplies you with the energy to go about your regular days.

So where does yoga come in?

It helps regulate our body’s metabolism.

Often, people want to have a high basal metabolic rate. This is because it helps burn more calories. But, calories aren’t the whole story.

Having too high or too low a rate is harmful to health.

For example, when we are stressed or sick our basal metabolic rate is high. In the same manner, certain diseases like diabetes keep it elevated.

Researchers observedthat long-term yoga practitioners have lower basal metabolic rates. This is true when compared to people who don’t do yoga. This is due to better metabolic efficiency and their ability to cope with stress better.

37. Yoga Regulates Our Adrenal Glands

These hormones work to regulate our body’s use of fat and protein. They’re also key in blood sugar control.

It is most active during stressful situations. This includes situations when you’re nervous or during emergencies.

One of the most important hormones it releases is cortisol. This stress hormone increases our awareness. It also gives us extra strength and mental ability to handle the stressful situation.

In the process, our immune system gets a boost as well.

But like inflammation, high levels of cortisol should only be temporary.

If it stays high for long periods, it can lead to health issues. Among these are high blood pressure, high blood sugar, osteoporosis, and depression.

For scientific evidence, we turn to the researchers at the Harvard Medical School. They found that classroom yoga improves behavior in 2nd and 3rd graders. It also helps with stress management by causing the students’ cortisol levels to go down.

We see similar results in patients with depression. Scientists observedthat yoga helps reduce cortisol levels in admitted patients.

38. Practicing Yoga Lowers Blood Sugar

Researchers noted that an 8-day yoga-based lifestyle modification program works. It was able to improve blood sugar levels in adults with normal glucose levels.

These individuals experienced lower levels of fasting blood glucose after the yoga program. Plus, their blood sugar3 to 4 hours after eating also dropped.

The benefits didn’t stop there.

The study shows that the subjects’ lipid profiles also improved. LDL cholesterol and triglycerides dropped while HDL cholesterol increased.

For diabetics, getting into yoga helps as well. It keeps blood sugar from spiking or staying high all the time.

Researchers foundthat 40 days of yoga reduces fasting blood sugar in diabetics. It allowed their fasting glucose to drop from 190 mg/dl to 141.5 mg/dl.

Maintaining blood sugar within normal levels is important. It prevents type 2 diabetes and its complications.

39. Yoga Lowers Cholesterol Levels

Doing yoga regularly helps lower your cholesterol.

A study shows that doing yoga for a year reduces total cholesterol from 206.6 mg/dl to 193.6 mg/dl.

It notes that the lowest levels were during week 14. At this time, total cholesterol averaged at 176 mg/dl.

Researchers say that yoga’s effects began during the 4th week and lasted for 14 weeks. After that, it started to level off before reaching the final result.

They also found that all lipid variables decreased except for HDL cholesterol.

A similar, shorter study echoes yoga’s ability to take effect almost immediately.

In this one, 98 participants went through an 8-day yoga program. Blood tests were done before and after the yoga program. This allowed the researchers to see the difference between pre- and post-yoga therapy.

Results show that total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterol all improved. It also notes that those who had high cholesterol before the therapy showed bigger improvements.

In these subjects, triglycerides dropped from a mean of 151.5 mg/dl to 132.7 mg/dl. For those who had normal cholesterol, there was a more modest drop from 113 mg/dl to 110 mg/dl.

40. Yoga Helps Regulate Endocrine Function

Our endocrine system is made up of a series of glands. These glands secrete hormones when needed and store them for later use.

While its work may sound simple, its effects are more complex.

The hormones act as signal messengers from the brain. They tell our organs and tissues to do more of this or less of that.

It is one way our brain controls all our organs even if it isn’t connected to some of them.

The hormones produced by our endocrine system regulate everything from our sleep balanceto our moods and metabolism. It also controls our growth as well as bone formation.

Needless to say, a healthy endocrine system ensures proper functioning of our body. When it goes awry, everything from excessive weight gain to brittle bones can happen.

Researchers observed this in 11 healthy yoga practitioners. In the study, Iyengar Yoga led to a deep physical and mental relaxation. The relaxation was associated with increased cardiac parasympathetic nervous modulation.

Yoga has a balancing effect on our autonomic nervous system. It does this by increasing activation in our parasympathetic nervous system. For this reason, yoga is helpful in conditions like PTSD and ADHD.

It also helps us “put on the brakes”. This is useful when things get too busy or stressful at work or life in general.

That way we don’t find ourselves over stressed or reaching a breaking point.

The specific case involved an obese man who had issues with fatigue. After 90 days of yoga training, researchers saw some of his age markers reverse. These included an increase in telomerase levels and lower levels of oxidative stress.

Besides its anti-aging effect on the body, yoga also helps preserve brain function.

Yogis and meditators also had a more resilient brain functional architecture. This made their brains and its cells less prone to damage.

48. Yoga Improves Your Posture

We spend long periods of time slumped over our desks.

This is why many people have poor posture.

Among the most common is the hunching of the upper back or kyphosis. Kyphosis and bad posture are results of weak back and shoulder muscles.

Often, it’s easier to sit in this hunched position, especially when you’re tired.

Problem is, this posture leads to neck, back, and other muscle pains. This is because other parts of the body are compensating for the curving of the neck and upper back.

Yoga helps fix your posture issues.

It does this by strengthening the back, shoulder and neck muscles. This is done through the different poses.

Additionally, yoga also lengthens your chest and stomach muscles. This is from the stretching.

Together, they counter the effects of a rounded back that’s a result of sitting all day.

The good news is, it’s never too late to start.

Researchers at UCLAobserved that yoga helps improve kyphosis in elderly individuals. It lessened the curvature in patients whose kyphosis angles were over 40 degrees. In comparison, those who didn’t do yoga did not see any improvements.

50. You’ll Sleep Better

According to the CDC, between 50 to 70 million adults in the U.S. have sleep-related problems.

Whether you can’t sleep or wake up often at night, not getting enough sleep is harmful to your health.

Here, yoga can help.

A study shows that 12 weeks of meditation and postures helped older adults with insomnia. It improves their sleep quality, amount of sleep and sleep efficiency.

This led them to have a better sense of well-being and more vitality. Plus, they experienced less stress during their waking hours.

A related study shows us that yoga helps pregnant women as well. Here, weekly meditation and prenatal Hatha yoga classes improved sleep efficiency. It also reduced the number times they woke up at night.

In postmenopausal women, researchersnote that yoga helped slow down bone resorption. This is the natural process of breaking down of old bone to make way for building new bone.

This helps prevent osteoporosis.

54. It Improves Your Joints’ Range of Motion

As we get older we lose our flexibility.

This results in our hips, shoulders, and ankles having much less range of motion than they used to.

By spending a lot of time sitting behind a desk we make this worse.

Yoga helps improve and reinstate our body’s range of motion. It does this through its series of postures and gentle stretches.

For most of us, this can promote better movement and bring pain relief. For athletes, it gives them an edge in mobility and flexibility so they perform better.

A study found that in women over the age of 50, yoga helps. A 20-week yoga course improved their spinal mobility and hamstring flexibility. Better yet, the improved joint range of motion resulted in better quality of life.

The study also reveals that no matter what age you are, yoga can help improve joint range of motion. The study included participants who were as old as 79 years old.

This is because of its low impact nature and gradual, controlled movements. Thanks to this it something anyone at any age can do.

This makes it a safer and more accessible form of exercise for everyone.

Researchers tell us that yoga helps maintain healthy joints. It does this by gradually loosening and strengthening the connective tissues and muscles that surround the joints and bones.

It is also why yoga helps reduce pain and disability in osteoarthritis.

One such study shows us yoga helping 118 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. It did this by decreased pain, knee disability, joint tenderness, and swelling.

It also increased their range of motion in both knees.

57. Regular Yoga Promotes Spine Health

Between each vertebra in our spine, there are spinal discs that act as shock absorbers. These discs also hold the vertebrae together.

The discs are what allow our body to bend and twist in various directions without pain.

To keep them strong and healthy, we need to be active. This allows them to get the nutrients they need.

Yoga provides us with a gentle, controlled way to exercise our back muscles. It also helps keep our spinal discs healthy. Yoga asanas (postures), which include twists and back bends help prevent disc degeneration.

Researchers from Taiwan’s Cathay General Hospital suggest this. Here, they compared the spine scans of 18 long time yoga instructors with those who didn’t practice yoga. What they found was the yoga practitioners had much less spinal disc degeneration.

58. Breathing Exercises in Yoga Let You Reduce Oxygen Consumption

One of the things that yoga instills in the body is the efficient use of resources.

This includes reducing the level of oxygen consumption.

Lowering your oxygen consumption is actually opposite of what most physical activity does.

Other forms of exercise, including sports, increases our level of oxygen consumption.

We see this in a studyinvolving men between the ages of 20 and 46 years old who did yoga based breathing techniques. Doing yoga caused a big decrease in oxygen consumption and an increase in breath volume.

Also, the relaxation and behavioral modification from yoga make it beneficial for anyone. This is especially true for those with heart disease.

As mentioned, most traditional yoga classes won’t get your heart pumping as hard as when you’re on a treadmill. But, some power yoga classes have this ability.

61. Yoga Works Well for Injury Rehabilitation

Yoga is a great tool for rehabilitating from injury or surgery. It uses slow and controlled movements that help you recover range of motion. Plus, it improves flexibility while strengthening muscles and joints.

It has similarities to physical therapy. But, there’s less of the boredom and aggravation. This is why many medical professionals use it for rehab.

A study tells us how it aids patients who had suffered traumatic brain injuries.

Eight weeks of yoga help the patients improve their balance by 36%. It also doubled their lower body strength while boosting endurance by 105%.

Best of all, it not only helped them physically but also mentally and emotionally.

62. It Helps Mothers During Pregnancy

Pregnant mothers go through many changes during the 9 months they’re with child.

These include everything from physical issues like pain to psychological effects and stress.

Plus, it does this during pregnancy, labor as well as after giving birth.

A review of controlled trials shows us yoga’s therapeutic effects during pregnancy. It reveals that maternity yoga helps reduce pain levels. Yoga also puts mothers in a better mental condition. It does this by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.

As a bonus, yoga helped with perinatal outcomes. It decreased delivery time and lowered the number of complications.

A studyshows that 8 weeks of yoga helped women with major depressive disorder (MDD). It improved their levels of stress, ruminations, and isolation.

Researchers learned that yoga helped the patients by promoting self-care techniques. They gathered this from recorded interviews and logs kept by participants. These techniques included self-acceptance, mindfulness, coping with stress and empowerment.

It also helped with relational techniques. Some examples include getting out of the house and shared experiences with others.

64. It Promotes Self-Control

One of the most important things that practicing yoga teaches you is self-control. This is in part through its very deliberate movements and in holding the poses.

There’s also the calming effects of breathing. And, the self-awareness gained from meditation.

Altogether, yoga helps foster self-control in various aspects of life. These include controlling your anger, impulsiveness, and overeating.

We see this in a study involving elderly individuals between the ages of 65 and 92.

Those assigned to chair yoga experienced bigger improvements in psychological health. This is especially true compared to those who did not take part in any kind of yoga.

The yoga group saw improvements in self-control. It also helped reduce their anger levels, feelings of depression and anxiety.

Most importantly, it improved their feeling of well-being and self-efficacy.

65. Yoga Increases Your Self-Esteem

Self-esteem refers to our own valuation of what we’re worth.

How high or low your self-esteem affects how you feel about others and yourself.

It also involves what you believe others think of you.

Ultimately, it affects the way you act.

Having low self-esteem makes us act differently than we normally would. It also makes us treat others in different ways.

Studies also show that it affects our health negatively. This is because it makes us lean on certain things like overeating or alcohol. For some, it’s money or social standing that boosts self-esteem.

The community aspect of yoga is intangible. But, it affects the practitioner in that it changes how they behave.

The study notes that yoga helps make you more patient, mindful and self-aware. Those who practiced it were also kinder.

All these traits helped improve their interpersonal relationships.

67. Practicing Yoga Promotes Better Interpersonal Relationships

Being more aware of yourself and understanding of others makes you a better person.

It helps you build more meaningful relationships. It also makes people like you more.

In addition, the compassion and calm mind gained from yoga let you relate better with others.

In this aspect, a published study shows that yoga helps pregnant women. After yoga, they saw improvements in quality of life and interpersonal relationships.

68. It Promotes Emotional Sensitivity

Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, deals with being able to understand and manage emotions. Doing so lets you lower stress. It also helps you face challenging situations, communicate and empathize with others.

Being sensitive to your own emotions and those of others is important. It makes you more aware of your own and others’ emotions.

This lets you regulate your own emotions so you don’t get overwhelmed by them. In the same manner, it allows you to empathize with others.

Yoga helps improve your sensitivity to emotions. Researchers observed this in university students who did yoga.

74. Yoga Lowers Your Risk of Stroke

When blood supply is cut off for too long, brain cells die. Along with them, we lose the abilities controlled by those cells.

This is why a stroke can affect memory and the ability to move certain parts of the body.

How much stroke affects a person depends on the extent of damage to the brain. Its effects can range from temporary weakness to something more serious like paralysis. This is according to the National Stroke Association.

Yoga can be a way to help prevent stroke. It improves overall blood circulation in the body (see #30).

Practicing this art is also helpful in stroke rehabilitation. This includes both physical and mental.

Researchers note that 16 sessions of yoga helped improve neck and hip range of motion. It also decreased pain levels for those recovering from a stroke.

The best part is yoga offers more than just physical benefits for post-stroke victims. It improves their levels of depression and anxiety as well. This is according to a study by the University of South Australia.

75. Yoga Can Help You Quit Smoking

Smoking is an unhealthy habit.

Yet, over 42 million Americans are cigarette smokers. This is because of nicotine’s addictive properties,

It’s worth noting that smoking kills over 480,000 people a year. Nearly 10% of that from secondhand smoke.

With smoking, our brain knows that it’s important to stop. But, the chemical effects of nicotine and other components in them make it very difficult to do so.

Yoga is a way that’s proven to help people quit smoking.

A study by The Miriam Hospitalin Rhode Island offers proof. It notes that 8 weeks of yoga improves smokers’ abstinence rate compared those who didn’t do yoga.

78. It Improves Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition. It that affects the small joints. This includes our wrists, fingers, and feet.

Unlike osteoarthritis (see #97), it is an autoimmune disorder. And, it affects the lining of our joints.

Thus, the condition not only causes pain but over time can lead to deformity and erosion of our bones.

Yoga helps offer relief from RA symptoms. This is because it is low impact and done with slow, deliberate movements.

Performing the poses helps loosen our joints and muscles. It also exerts gentle pressure to help anyone with rheumatoid arthritis.

A study found that twice a week Iyengar Yoga for 6 weeks helps young adults with RA. It reduced their pain symptoms and disability. The yoga sessions also helped improve their vitality, mental health, and self-efficacy.

Researchersat A.T. Still University found similar results. Ten weeks of yoga improved participants’ balance. It also reduced their level of disability, pain, and depression.

79. It Helps Relieve Asthma Symptoms

Over 25 million individuals in the U.S. have asthma. Of this number, close to a third are children. This is according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

With asthma, the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs become inflamed. This thickens the walls within them. It also narrows the airways.

So, there’s limited air flow.

This results in coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing. All due to the swollen and sensitive airways.

Here, researchers looked at 25 yoga studies between 2004 and 2011. From that, they observed that practicing yoga helped survivors improve their well-being. Also, it improved their quality of life and limited their symptoms.

Researchers in Turkey likewise noted that yoga reduces stress. It allowed patients who were being treated for breast cancer to relax better. Plus, it helped them do day to day activities.

82. It Offers Relief in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome causes numbness, tingling and a feeling of swelling. The latter happens even when there isn’t any swelling there.

This condition occurs when the median nerve gets compressed at the wrist area.

This nerve runs from forearm to the palm of our hand. It controls sensation in our fingers, thumb, and hands. As such, this condition can limit our wrist, hand and finger function.

A study by the University of Pennsylvania shows us how yoga brings relief to carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, researchers observed that yoga offered better relief than splinting the wrist.

Study participants went through an 8 week yoga program involving 11 postures. Thanks to yoga, they experienced significant improvements in grip strength and had less pain.

Yoga also let them regain wrist flexibility. They saw improvements in their ability to make the Phalen sign.

83. Yoga and Chronic Bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis is a pulmonary disease that makes it difficult to breathe.

As such, increasing oxygen without making the patient breathe hard helps this condition.

Yoga’s is unique in that it is one of the few forms of exercise that does this. It is able to increase oxygen in the body without increasing your respiration rate. This makes in beneficial for anyone with chronic bronchitis.

This unique feature also makes it distinct from other modes of exercise.

A studyfound that 4 weeks of yoga that included asana and pranayama works well. During this time, chronic bronchitis patients saw improvements in lung function. This included FEV1, PEFR (peak expiratory flow rate) and vital capacity.

It also reduced sudden shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing.

84. It Helps Reduces Epilepsy Seizures

For those who have epilepsy, yoga reduces the frequency of seizures.

How?

Among the triggers of these seizures is stress. This is something yoga helps lower.

Prior studieson epilepsy also show that yoga complements existing anti-epilepsy medication. Together, they cut down the frequency of epileptic seizures.

But, due to the limited data, more research needs to be done.

85. Yoga and Fibromyalgia

Yoga reduces the symptoms of fibromyalgia. This can include fatigue, pain throughout the body and depression.

Researchers noticed that patients with fibromyalgia benefited from 2 different yoga techniques. These were relaxing yoga and relaxing yoga plus touch.

The study divided the patients between the 2 yoga programs. Then asked them to answer a Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and a visual analog scale (VAS). The FIQ and VAS helped researchers measure pain levels the patients experienced.

In both groups, pain scores decreased after yoga.

During treatment, the yoga with touch group experienced more pain relief. But in the end, it was the yoga without touch group that had better results.

86. Yoga Can Reduce Your Medication

As we get older, the potential number of medication we need increases.

This often includes pills for controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.

Others may have prescriptions for blood sugar lowering drugs and the like.

Taking medicine is often a simpler fix compared to lifestyle changes. It works faster and is more convenient. All you need to do is pop a pill.

The problem is, these medicines can have side effects.

Yoga is one way you can reduce the medication you take. This saves you money. And, it lets you avoid their possible side effects.

An articlein the International Journal of Yoga noticed this in long-term yogis. Compared to non-practitioners they had lower BMI and used less medication.

It also saw an inverse relationship between yoga experience with BMI and medication needed.

This shows that yoga can help you get rid of some medication. This can include pills and tablets for sleeping, weight control or anxiety relief.

87. It Improves IBS Symptoms

These issues are due to many different things. Among them are the food you eat, existing conditions, stress, and hormones.

Yoga helps relieve stress that can lead to IBS. It also reduces constipation due to IBS.

A study by the Pediatric Pain Program at UCLA offers proof. It found that doing yoga lessened symptoms in young adolescents and adults with IBS. It also let them sleep better. Plus, it reduced their disability while improving physical functioning.

At the end of the study, researchers found that yoga improved many aspects of sleep. This included sleep efficiency, total sleep time and sleep onset latency. It also reduced wake time after sleep.

89. It Helps Women Cope with Menopausal Symptoms

Menopause is part of the natural biological process for women.

But, it comes with some symptoms that can be disruptive in your day to day life.

Many women use yoga to cope with these symptoms. Among them are hot flashes, sleep difficulty, lower energy, anxiety and mood swings.

Researchers at the University of Washington observed this in postmenopausal women. Here, 10 weeks of yoga improved well-being. They also saw big improvements in symptoms. These included hot flashes, sleep efficiency and quality.

While yoga does not lessen the frequency of hot flashes, it improved the women’s perception of it. This resulted in better well-being.

An analysis of past yoga trials on menopausal symptoms made the same observation. Data showedyoga was effective for dealing with psychological symptoms related to menopause.

90. Reduce Your Migraines with Yoga

Migraines can be debilitating. Their pain can last for hours or even days.

Thus, when migraine attacks strike, it disrupts our normal way of life.

Research revealsthat 3 months of yoga helped participants experience fewer migraines. When they did get migraines, the intensity of the headaches was lower as well.

Many things can cause migraines. Among them are stress, poor posture, and sleep issues.

Yoga can reduce the symptoms by addressing these and other issues as well.

91. It Encourages Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is when you pay attention to your senses as you eat. You also eat with intention.

This means you don’t put junk into your body even if it tastes good.

Instead, it involves eating with the intention of caring for yourself, your body and health.

It also involves paying attention and enjoying what you’re eating.

This makes you more aware of the food you eat and understand what the food is for.

Practicing mindful eating also fosters the feeling of satisfaction. At the same time, it curbs hunger cravings.

A studyreveals that yoga improves mindful eating. Researchers used a mindful eating questionnaire to compare how different activities affected mindfulness. Here, yoga practitioners scored higher than those who walked or did moderate to intense exercise.

The team did an experiment to see how yoga helps treat this condition. To do so they recruited participants who went through 12 weeks of yoga.

After the program, participants had less preoccupation with food. They also did better in the Eating Disorder Examination.

93. It Helps Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis affects balance and coordination. It also does a number on your muscles and memory. The reason is that it affects the brain and the spinal cord.

Thus, the condition presents physical, mental and emotional symptoms. When the symptoms get serious, they can prevent you from doing things you used to normally be able to do.

A study in the Journal Neurologytells us yoga is useful for MS patients. It indicates that 6 months of yoga reduced their fatigue levels. It also notes that yoga’s effect was comparable to other forms of exercise.

This is similar to the findings of an analysis of past studies on yoga and MS.

Unfortunately, yoga isn’t able to improve cognitive or muscle function.

94. Yoga Can Improve Muscle Function in Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy is a genetic condition affecting our muscles. With this condition, muscles progressively get weaker and lose muscle mass.

Because of this, it gradually leads to not being able to use certain parts of the body.

Muscular dystrophy comes in different forms. Some forms affect muscles. Other forms affect swallowing or breathing.

Yoga can help depending on the symptoms.

Here’s one example from the University of São Pauloin Brazil. It found that yoga improved pulmonary function in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This was thanks to yoga’s breathing exercises.

The breathing exercises provided significant improvements in FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Volume). It also boosted FVC (Forced Vital Capacity). Both are lung function tests that measure the amount of air a person can exhale.

95. It Helps Relieve Neck Pain

If you have chronic neck pain, yoga can bring relief. It will give you better range of motion as well.

A study in Germany indicates that Iyengar yoga helps those who have chronic neck pain. It does this by reducing the amount of pain experienced during both rest and in motion.

Those who performed yoga also experienced better quality of life. They had less disability and showed improved psychological outcomes. Their neck range of motion got better too, according to researchers.

Even more important is that what the study noted during a 12 month follow-up. It saw that maintaining the yoga practice kept the pain away. It also improved functional neck disability and quality of life.

96. It Reduced the Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Those who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) experience excessive thoughts and behaviors. For them, this happens so much that it gets in the way of going about their everyday life.

Some studies link this behavior to our fears and anxieties.

Yoga can decrease the level of OCD by letting us relax. Plus, it reduces our anxieties.

A study at UC San Diego notes this. Participants treated using a yoga breathing pattern saw significant reductions their symptoms. Even better, the results happened within a 12 month period.

Additionally, it reduced their level of perceived stress. This helped some participants get off medication or have it reduced.

101. Yoga Can Improve Your Scoliosis Curve

Scoliosis is the sideways curvature of the spine. It can affect the lumbar or thoracic spine.

When this happens, it affects your posture.

Mild scoliosis isn’t something to worry about.

But, when the curve gets more severe, it can affect your confidence in public. This is because you will lean towards one side even when you’re standing straight up.

Scoliosis can also produce uneven shoulders, hips, and waist.

If the condition progresses, it can make life difficult. The curvature of the spine can lead to back pain and breathing difficulty.

Studies show that scoliosis from thoracic curvature reduces lung function. It makes it more difficult to breathe, especially during exercise.

Yoga can decrease your spine’s scoliosis curve.

Dr. Loren Fishman and colleagues proved this. They observed that the side plank helps reduce spine curvature in scoliosis patients. In their study, this exercise lessened primary scoliotic curves by 32%.

On average, the participants, all with scoliosis, did the yoga pose 6 days a week for close to 7 months. They held the pose for around 90 seconds daily on the convex side of the curve.

102. It Helps Soothe Your Sinuses

Yoga is often associated with its poses.

But, one important aspect of the practice is pranayama. This is a breathing technique in yoga.

This control of breathing regulates our mood and improves our ability to relax. It also “extends our life force”.

Pranayama uses different methods of inhalation and exhalation. Among them are lengthening our breath duration and alternative nostril breathing.

These techniques clear up clogged nasal passages so you can breathe better.

Research showsthat nasal breathing reduces the effects related to Allergic Rhinitis. It also soothes your sinuses, letting you breathe easier.

103. Practicing Yoga is Effective for Dealing with Chronic Pain

The studies we’ve mentioned above show how yoga helps us deal with various kinds of chronic pain. This ranges from back to neck pain. It even includes those related to arthritis.

Plus, yoga offers benefits related to muscle strength, flexibility, and range of motion. All of which play a part in alleviating pain.

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is an umbrella term for a set of eye problems. These problems come from staring and focusing on your screen for long periods of time.

When using computers, our eyes focus on small text and images that are very near. Additionally, we do this for long durations.

Doing this often leads to eye strain and discomfort.

While the discomfort is temporary, regular computer use leads to other symptoms. These include dry or red eyes, blurred vision, and eye irritation. You may also have some headaches and neck or back pain.

Researchers observed that computer users benefit from a 5 day a week yoga program. Those who did yoga had less visual discomfort after 60 days.

There’s something worthwhile noting, though.

Yoga can help combat eye strain. But certain postures may be harmful if you’re prone to glaucoma. These include the Sirsasana or headstand,

Studies have foundthat standing on your head increases the flow of blood to the head. This temporarily increases intraocular pressure. Doing so can contribute to the progression of glaucoma in those at high risk to the condition.